For the Culture By The Culture
Legalization promised freedom but preserved prohibition logic. This investigation examines how cannabis reform left arrests, racial disparities, job punishment, medical blame, and equity barriers intact. By tracing enforcement, employment law, healthcare practice, and licensing rules, it shows how legalization changed the label without dismantling the system.
Despite legalization in half the country, over 204,000 Americans were arrested for marijuana in 2024, most for possession. The FBI, ACLU, and DOJ data expose how outdated laws, racial disparities, and political hypocrisy keep the drug war alive under new names. America claims reform, yet still profits from punishment. The hustle just wears a badge now.
Federal researchers say they’ve detected THC in breath after edible use, but the science is flawed and the implications are dangerous. With no proven link between THC levels and impairment, this tech risks becoming another tool of biased enforcement especially against communities already targeted under cannabis laws
In a city where the smell of freedom now includes a hint of cannabis, New York City's journey through legalization sparks more questions than answers. Is the green light of legalization truly illuminating a path to equity, or is it casting long shadows of the past? Dive into the heart of NYC's weed wars, where the battle lines between the illicit and the legal blur, and the fight for a fair and equitable green future rages on.
